Ford Endura Trend 2019 review

There's a really good amount of space inside the car. Up front was very roomy, with lots of air between our heads and the roof and plenty of leg space. You certainly don't feel cramped in this car.

My two children aged five and seven also had lots of room in the back to climb around and settle in.

And the boot is huge. At 603L it will fit a pram, sporting equipment, pretty much all you need.

They were far enough apart to help prevent bickering (we all know how close quarters can be conducive to sibling fights!), and you are able to fit a third child seat in the middle if you have three kids in car seats.

And the boot is huge. At 603L (up to the cargo cover), it will fit a pram, sporting equipment, pretty much all you need. There are also two hidey holes in each side of the boot for loose extras.

My two children aged five and seven also had lots of room in the back to climb around and settle in.

There's a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine - the Endura only comes in diesel, there is no petrol option.

Normally I'm not a diesel fan purely because of the chug-a-lug sound, but this engine is well insulated and I can barely hear it, so that's a tick because you get much better fuel efficiency with a diesel.

It gets up hills perfectly fine and I feel comfortable cruising along highways. This is the 2WD option, though it does come in an AWD for an extra $4000.

There's a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine - the Endura only comes in diesel.

I did find this car had a bit of a tendency to roll back a slight amount and you really have to push the accelerator if you're in a situation when you go to take off at the top of a hill.

It's still a sizeable car to park and in my tiny, local shopping centre car park, I found myself going for the park furthest away from the lift because I could get into it more easily. Good for your steps?

Once you do find a park to fit you, it's easy to get into because of the clear reversing camera. Steering is also fine to turn, there's a slight pull to it but nothing unexpectedly heavy.

It's still a sizeable car to park and in my tiny, local shopping centre car park.

The kids had a great time climbing in and out of the car. There are two cupholders up front, one quite deep one for bottles, and the centre storage bin is super deep - you could fit a champagne bottle in there if you needed to!

There's also a deep hole at the front that is perfect to lose your keys in (I did), and a bottle holder in each door. You'll also get two cupholders in the back and rear passengers also get their own air vents.

You are able to fit a third child seat in the middle if you have three kids in car seats.

The air in general is well circulated through the car, I drove it during a very hot week and I found the design of the air vents to be really great for cooling the car quickly.

The only real disappointment is that it doesn't have those two spare seats in the back, like its competitors do, so for a similar price you could be getting seven seats instead of five.

They're mighty handy but sometimes families know they just won't use those two extra seats, but they still want a big car. So it really is a personal choice.

The seats are fabric but they wear well against bare skin and are comfortable.

The Ford Endura got the full five ANCAP stars, with advanced safety tech like auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

There are also airbags for driver and front passenger, plus side curtain airbags that extend to the back row. The rear outer seats get ISOFIX points and there are three top tether points for children's car seats.

The Ford Endura Trend comes in at $44,990, with an extra $600 for the Baltic Sea Green colour, to bring it to $45,590.

Fuel consumption is 6.7L/100km, thanks to diesel efficiency.

It's covered by Ford's five year/unlimited km warranty with servicing recommended every 12 months or 15,000km.